You can’t fault NLC for not being proactive in UTAG strike – Austin Gamey

Labour expert, Austin Gamey, has asked that the National Labour Commission (NLC) be spared from the blame game in the impasse between the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) and the government.

Austin explained that many at times, the Commission may be overwhelmed with thousands of labour cases that it will be difficult to attend to each case as it would be expected.

He shared this opinion during an interview with Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning Show aired on e.TV Ghana and Happy98.9FM.

“It is unfortunate the Commission has not been proactive in this case because that is one of the key things assigned them but their officers may not be all that up to the task. They are overwhelmed. With a lot of cases there, they can only tackle one at a time”.

The Labour expert revealed that the laws of Ghana allow employers and workers to take advantage of other services of mediation and negotiation aside the Labour Commission. However, many Ghanaians decide not to utilize these services; which in the long run burdens the NLC.

He thus advised, “We are supposed to use mediators, facilitators, and arbitrators. We have two major laws that premise that but Ghana is too focused on one way type of nation and management systems. The laws have given room for people to use other means. If you want to go to NLC, you go, but if there are 1000 cases there you form a queue”.

The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has suspended its strike and has also agreed to return to the negotiation table.

This follows an emergency meeting, its leaders had with the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations and the National Labour Commission (NLC) on Wednesday, August 18, 2021.

Both parties [Government and UTAG] have also resolved to discontinue the legal processes concerning the protracted strike and have given themselves a one-month timeline to settle all outstanding issues.